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Forty per cent of Australians do not believe that democracy is the best form of government, the Lowy Institute it conducted earlier this year.

The main reasons given were that what now passes for democracy is serving vested interests rather than the interests of people, and that there is no real difference between the two big political parties.

This is a perfectly logical reaction to the convergence of the major parties around the economic doctrine of neoliberalism.

The turn to neoliberalism is commonly associated with the governments of Margaret Thatcher in Britain and Ronald Reagan in the US in the 1980s. Yet, in many countries, it was the parties of social democracy that led the way — Australia and New Zealand prominent among them.

When they didn’t lead they were enthusiastic followers who disingenuously tried to dress up the doctrine. Tony Blair’s “New Labour” was neoliberalism with a new face and a toothy smile.

The generation of Australian voters who have grown up during this period have had the opportunity to vote in four federal elections between 2004 and 2013.

In that time, the share of the Senate vote going to the two major parties has dropped from 80% in 2007 to 68% last year. That means other parties and independents in the Senate had the support of just over 32% of voters, a greater share than the ALP.

VOTERS FED UP

The record vote for third parties and independents at the last election included an emerging group of voters who are fed up with the status quo.

Political market researcher : “They are not the stereotypical angry, uneducated voter. They are generally more politically engaged and savvy.”

An authorative study recently released by the Australian National University (ANU) and the Social Research Centre (SRC) reported that satisfaction with democracy has declined from 86% in 2007 to 72% in June this year. Those who believed it actually made a difference which major party was in power plummeted from 68% in 2007 to 43%.

At last year’s federal poll, about 3 million people, nearly 20% of eligible voters, opted out of the election. Either they failed to enrol, did not show up at the polling booths or voted informally. They are generally younger, poorer voters who live in outer-metropolitan and rural areas.

Dr Tim Battin, Senior Lecturer in the School of Humanities at the University of New England, said most of those who’ve opted out are not apathetic, rather they believe the system excludes them. He told the ABC: “There is a very big difference between apathy and disenchantment and disengagement. To be disenchanted with political options is not to be apathetic, it’s to take a conscious decision that the system is failing them.”

The other big finding from the ANU-SRC study is that 70% of Australians believe their lives will not improve in the next five years and most of them believe that their children’s lives will be worse than their own.

The Labor Party’s apparent support for the current community fightback against increased student fees, the Medicare co-payment and the increase in the retirement age ignores the fact that it was the ALP who first introduced these policies.

WE NEED ELECTORAL REFORM

The Socialist Alliance has long held that the big parties are in the pockets of powerful corporate interests and are privileged by the present electoral laws.

It advocates electoral reform based on an understanding of the fundamentally flawed nature of capitalist “democracy” where a small minority owns or controls most of society’s resources and uses this economic power to advance its own interests to the detriment of the vast majority.

It supports a that guarantees all contending parties and candidates an equal chance to present their platforms before elections.

The Socialist Alliance’s strategy for change is based on building the broadest possible grassroots campaigns against neoliberalism, war, injustice and oppression. It believes that building these campaigns on the ground and contesting elections are complementary.

In the upcoming Victorian state election, the Socialist Alliance candidate for Pascoe Vale, Sean Brocklehurst, is campaigning on a platform opposing the new East West Link motorway and demanding more funding for health, education, public transport and public housing. The election campaign will focus on building the next rally against the East West Link, in the city on November 15.

The Socialist Alliance candidate for Geelong, Sarah Hathway, is campaigning with the slogan “This election, vote for a future” — calling for an urgently needed program of job creation and the need for a political system based on community need, not corporate greed.

[To lend your support to these campaigns, like “Sean Brocklehurst for Pascoe Vale” on Facebook or phone 03 9369 5622.]

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